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Start of 68th running of The Great American Race moved up one hour to 1:30 p.m. ET
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 14, 2026) – Due to potential weather forecasted for the Daytona Beach area late Sunday, NASCAR today announced the DAYTONA 500 will move up one hour from its originally scheduled time to now begin at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Gates and hospitality will now open at 9 a.m. ET, and the Hard Rock Bet Fanzone will open at 8:30 a.m. ET. Parking lots will open at 6 a.m. ET.
Fans in attendance will still get to enjoy the pre-race performance by Miranda Lambert and the pageantry of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performing the flyover at the conclusion of the National Anthem.
The 2026 DAYTONA 500 kicks off the Cup Series’ regular season with the largest purse in motorsports of over $31 million for NASCAR’s most prestigious race.
Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch will lead the field to green from the pole position while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe will start alongside him on the front row. William Byron, the two-time defending race winner, is looking to become the first driver ever to win three DAYTONA 500 championships in a row.
Fans can find additional schedule details for pre-race festivities in the fan guide at daytonainternationalspeedway.com.
The original broadcast networks remain unchanged. The DAYTONA 500 will be live on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
